Congratulations to OU School of Music Composition Professor Dr. Marvin Lamb! The recording Quadrants, Vol. 2, which includes Dr. Lamb's composition "Lamentations," has been recommended for submission to the GRAMMY AWARD nominating process, in the Producer of the Year-Classical category. Congratulations, Dr. Lamb!
Congrats to OU MUED alum Brad Regier (MME, 2016) for his recent publication of an article based on his master's thesis! The article is now "online first" in "Update: Applications of Research in Music Education." Brad is completing his PhD at the University of Missouri this year.
We are SO proud of OU School of Music alum Kellie Coffey! Kellie, who earned her BM Voice Performance degree at OU (studying with Dr. Dolores Leffingwell), has just been inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame! Congratulations, Kellie, on this well-deserved honor! (click on this NewsOK.com article for the story about Kellie and all the new inductees).
The new Instrumentalist magazine is out, and OU School of Music director Dr. Roland Barrett's "Prelude and Passages" has been reviewed and designated as a "reviewer's choice". Congratulations, Dr.Barrett!
Congratulations to our OU School of Music voice students on their fantastic performances at the Texoma NATS Conference at Baylor University this past weekend! We are very proud of these outstanding students and their fine teachers!
Congratulations to our 2018 Concerto Competition winners! These outstanding musicians will be featured soloists with the OU Symphony Orchestra on Friday, March 1st.
Congratulations to OU School of Music horn student Austin Warnock, who has been selected to the Young Adult Honors Wind Ensemble! Austin and the ensemble will perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC in February.
It is our honor to announce that Dr. Jennifer Saltzstein, Associate Professor of Musicology in the OU School of Music, has won the H. Colin Slim Award for her article, "Rape and Repentance in Two Medieval Motets." This annual award is given by the American Musicological Society and honors the best article written by a senior scholar in the field of musicology. Congratulations, Dr. Saltzstein!
OU School of Music alum Dr. Martha Griffith (PhD, 2006) has been named Teacher of the Year at Longfellow Middle School in Norman! Congratulations, Dr. Griffith!
Congratulations to our OU School of Music students who performed so well at last weekend’s MTNA & OMTA competition! Outstanding work!
Congratulations to School of Music Graduate Teaching Assistants Chin Jung Hseih, Charles Iskander, Todd Van Kekerix, and Elizabeth Wolfrey. These outstanding students have been selected as recipients of The 2018 Provost's Certificate Of Distinction In Teaching award, and we are extremely proud of them!
Congratulations to OU Piano & Piano Pedagogy Professor Dr. Barbara Fast! Here is the cover art for her brand new book (coauthored with Jennifer Mishra) "iPractice: Technology in the 21st Century Music Practice Room." Congratulations, Dr. Fast!
Congratulations to bassoonist Taylor Akin! Taylor, who is a senior at Washington High School, studies with OU bassoon professor Rod Ackmann, and is concurrently enrolled as a student in the OU School of Music, will soon be featured on the November 17th episode of "From The Top" on National Public Radio! Bravo, Taylor!
OU Composition Professor Dr. Kostas Karathanasis just returned from Beijing, China, where he attended the annual conference of the Musicacoustica/International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music. Dr. K represented the Hellenic Electroacoustic Music Composers Association at the General Assembly of ICEM, performed a curated concert of their music, and participated in the jury of the Musicacoustica Composition Contest for Mixed Media pieces.
Sophomore BME bassoon student Sean McCray recently participated in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic's Discovery Family Concert Instrument Playground. November 2018
Mr. Lonnie Easter, PhD Music Education student in the OU School of Music, performing the National Anthem at Sunday evening's OKC Thunder game!
Congratulations to OU School of Music director Dr. Roland Barrett! His band composition "Children of a Different Sun" is reviewed in the November issue of The Instrumentalist magazine!
Congratulations to OU School of Music flute student Elizabeth Wolfrey, who was recently honored with an invitation to perform in a master class session with the renowned Sir James Galway!
Congratulations to the Elysian Saxophone Quartet (Jared Waters, Damian Cheek, Evan Harris, and Spiro Nicolas) on the release of their CD "Red" on the Blue Griffin record label! And, check out Jared's great cover art!
Check out this great article in The Daily Oklahoman/NewsOK about OU School of Music MME student Julianne Annesley! Congratulations, Julianne!
Here's a wonderful interview with School of Music DMA composition student Josh Tomlinson that was posted recently by PARMA Recordings on his album Mind & Machine Vol 2. Congratulations, Josh!
Congratulations to Dr. Melissa Baughman, who will deliver a presentation titled "Nevertheless, She Sings: Empowering Women in Choral Music" later this week at the annual North Dakota State University Choral Symposium.
Professor Brian Dobbins competed with the Fountain City Brass Band in Gateshead England at Brass in Concert. This is the premiere entertainment brass band competition in the world.
Congratulations to Dr. Christina Giacona, who recently served as session producer and musical conductor for the recording session for an upcoming movie titled "The Bygone." Session musicians included OU tuba & euphonium professor Brian Dobbins, School of Music website manager Daryl Nagode, and OU School of Music alumni Logan Fish, Izzy Potts, Christine Craddock, Patrick Conlon, and Marat Gabdullin.
Recent OU School of Music graduate Tyler Overton was a featured teacher for the NPS Teacher Feature series! Check out the video below. Congratulations, Tyler....we are proud of you!
OU alumnus and student of Dr. Burcham David Geist (MM Voice/Opera 2016) performed at OU as a member of the group Cantus.
Another outstanding student achievement! DMA flute student Elizabeth Wolfrey has been invited to perform for Sir James Galway's masterclass in OKC in October! Congratulations, Elizabeth!
Congratulations to recent MME Choral Conducting graduate Hunter Birkhead, who has accepted two positions in the DFW area. Hunter is the new Assistant Choral Director at Highland Park Middle School as well as the new Music Director at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Hurst, Texas. Congratulations, Hunter!
Congratulations to OU School of Music Director of Choral Activities Dr. Richard Zielinski on the launch of his new A to Z Productions! Here is a great writeup with all the details.
John M. Morrow is a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma with an MM in Choral Conducting. He has been appointed as the new Associate Director of Music at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, where he recently served as the Interim Director of Music Ministries. He will also be continuing in his role as Principal Organist at McFarlin. Congratulations, John!
Congratulations to DMA composition student Josh Tomlinson! In addition to being a presenter at this summer's New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Josh's composition "Convergences" has been recorded and is due for release on the Ravellorecords label. Congratulations, Josh!
The Hornsemble were invited to perform in Austria with the Vienna Horn Society in celebration of the organization’s 135th anniversary. While in Austria, the group performed in Ohlsdorf and in Eisenstadt at the Haydn Konservatorium. In Vienna, the members received master classes from the horn faculty at Musik und Kunst Private University and Dr. Matlick worked with their Horn Class. The group was invited to attend a rehearsal of the Vienna Philharmonic and during the week members attended performances of Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera. Prior to the trip, the ensemble performed a concert in Flower Mound, Texas.
Dr. Matlick prepared and conducted an all-pro horn ensemble at the International Horn Society Symposium at Ball State University. The program featured big band music scored for horn ensemble and rhythm section. The ending featured selection was his special arrangement of ‘MacArthur Park’ that brought the audience to their feet!
Professor Brian Dobbins signed on as an Eastman Music Instrument Performing Artist and represented the university at a Salvation Army Brass Band Camp performing solo repertoire and a full brass quintet recital.
Dr. Karl Sievers was co-host of the 4th Annual William Adam International Trumpet Festival in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Sievers is the originator of the Festival honoring Mr. Adam, and the first three conferences were held here at OU.
Dr. Irv Wagner toured Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Amsterdam for musical events. This was followed by participating in the International Trombone Festival held at the University of Iowa where his arrangement of Send In The Clowns for Trombone Choir was the finale composition of the concert presented by the Julliard School of Music Trombone Choir under the direction of Joe Alessi. Following this event, he was the guest artist and teacher for a Trombone Workshop in New Zealand as well as one of the Jury Members for an International Trombone Competition held in Budapest, Hungary.
Congratulations to OU School of Music Composition Professor Dr. Marvin Lamb! Dr. Lamb's "Lamentations" has just been recorded and released by the Pedroia String Quartet on the navona record label. Congratulations, Dr. Lamb!
Fantastic news about OU School of Music alumnus Jack Swanson! In a recent Opera Today review of Santa Fe Opera’s L’Italiana in Algeri, James Sohre wrote, “Jack Swanson (Lindoro) can be added to the short list of top tier Rossini tenors. His brilliant, focused lyric instrument has a captivating color, and his effortless execution of endless racing melismas was jaw dropping in its élan and artistry. Mr. Swanson is enthralling not only for his assured, stylish vocalizing but also for his amiable, boyishly handsome stage presence. He brought the house down with his first aria, capturing our hearts, and then came back for the rest of us with a wonderfully detailed interpretation. Watch this talented young man’s star rise rapidly in coming months.” Congratulations, Jack!
Congratulations to OU DMA percussion student Jamie Wind Whitmarsh, who is currently serving as a faculty member at the 2018 YES Academy, an international summer performing arts program located in Beirut, Lebanon. Mr Whitmarsh is one of only 15 faculty members chosen from universities across the United States.
Congratulations to OU School of Music alumnus Joel Garber (DMA Choral Conducting '17), who has accepted the position of Visiting Professor of Music and Director of Choirs for Denison University, in Granville Ohio!
Congratulations to OU School of Music alumnus Alessandro Bonotto, who recently won a trumpet spot in the Navy Fleet Bands! Bravo!
Congratulations to junior voice major Sydney Byte, who just won First Place in the Lower College Musical Theater Women's Division of the 2018 National NATS Competition in Las Vegas last weekend! Bravo, Sydney!
Congratulations to OU music education faculty members Dr. Melissa Baughman and Dr. Chris Baumgartner, whose article "Preservice teachers' experiences teaching an adult community music ensemble" has just been published in the International Journal of Music Education!
Congratulations to OU School of Music MM Choral Conducting alum Jason Gadberry, who has been named High School and Jr. High School Choir Director for the Ennis (TX) Independent School District!
Congratulations to OU School of Music alum Brandon Cave (BM trumpet-2011 & MM trumpet-2013), who has just won a position in the trumpet section of the Navy Fleet Band!
Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Avery! Dr. Avery and Dr. Quinn Patrick Ankrum, Assistant Professor of Voice at CCM, just delivered a very well-received presentation at the Digital Humanities Summer Institute at the University of Victoria in British Columbia!
Dr. Souza's composition "Oferendas 5" was selected for performance by the North/South Consonance Chamber Orchestra for their June 5th concert in NYC! Congratulations Dr. Souza!
Congratulations to DMA choral conducting student Yong Mao, who has been selected by Dolce Canto to lead their fall concert season!
Congratulations to Interim Director of Percussion Activities Dr. Andrew Richardson, who is doing a presentation at the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy today in Fayetteville, Arkansas! Dr. Richardson's presentation is titled "The Percussion Literature Class: A Survey Of Common Practices."
OU grad student Kathryn Vetter has been awarded an OU Robberson Research Grant to attend the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy this summer! The Cortona Sessions bring emerging composers and performers together to create and perform contemporary music. Kathryn will be graduating next week with an MM in Clarinet Performance and Music Theory. She will be attending Stony Brook University (NY) in fall 2018 to pursue a DMA in Clarinet Performance.
OU grad student Ashley Green has been accepted into an 8-week intensive language workshop at Indiana University this summer! Ashley will be studying the Bosnian, Croation, and Serbian languages in order to contribute to her study of Ethnomusicology at OU.
OU grad student Dr. David Cook will be joining the faculty at Millikin University as Assistant Professor of Clarinet and Principal Clarinet of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra beginning in the fall of 2018! His teaching duties will include applied clarinet, woodwind methods, clarinet pedagogy, music theory and aural skills.
Congratulations to first-year MM Piano Pedagogy & Performance major Helena Aung, who was recently honored with a Cleo Cross International Scholarship!
Graduate saxophone student Evan Harris has been awarded a University Distinguished Fellowship to pursue his doctoral degree at Michigan State University!
Graduate composition student Joshua Tomlinson's work "From Sacred Texts" has been selected for performance at this summer's New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival!
Congratulations to Music Education Professor Dr. Charlene Dell, who has been named to the American String Teacher Journal Editorial Board!
OU Trumpet Professor Dr. Karl Sievers will be teaming up with Jay Friedman, Principal Trombonist with the Chicago Symphony, at this summer's Bach Fest at the Vincent Bach Factory in Elkhart, Indiana.
Congratulations to OU School of Music graduate students Eric Pennello and Andrea Johnson, who received recognition at today's Graduate Awards Luncheon! Eric won Second Place at the recent campus-wide Oral Presentation of Graduate Research & Creativity Day, and Andrea received a Provost's Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Outstanding Teaching and Performance in the Humanities and Fine Arts. Eric and Andrea are pictured here with Dr. Randall Hewes, Dean of the Graduate College.
Dr. Zoe Sherinian's new book "Making Congregational Music Local In Christian Communities Worldwide" has just been released! The book, co-edited by Dr. Sherinian, Monique M. Ingalls, and Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg, explores the various ways in which congregational music-making is integral to communities around the world. Congratulations, Dr. Sherinian!
OU School of Music alum Dr. Brooke McCorkle will begin a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment at the University of Vermont this fall, and has also published her first book, "Big Green Monsters: The Environmental Movement in Japanese Cinema," co-authored with Sean Rhoads. Congratulations, Dr. McCorkle!
CONGRATULATIONS to our voice students on their achievements at OK Chapter NATS this weekend! 23 of our singers made the finals, with 12 winning awards! Kudos to these outstanding students (and their professors)!
Freshman Women Classical:
Victoria Mulholland, 3rd Place (student of Joel Burcham)
Freshman Men Classical:
Braden Sayers, 1st Place, (Burcham)
Sophomore Women Classical:
Sarah Spurlin, 2nd Place, Burcham)
Ashley Carr, 3rd Place (Van Every)
Sophomore Men Classical:
Nick Skotzko, 1st Place (Josephson & Cobb)
George Soter, 3rd Place (Burcham)
Upper College Musical Theatre Women:
Katrina Randolph, 2nd Place Tie (Josephson & Cobb)
Junior Women Classical:
Bea Kim, 1st Place (Josephson & Cobb)
Senior Women Classical:
Maggie Armand, 1st Place (Flanagan)
Graduate Women Classical:
Jenna Black, 1st Place (Josephson & Cobb)
Graduate Men Classical:
Stephen Jones, 1st Place (Flanagan)
Jacob Fowkes, 2nd Place (Flanagan)
We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Mark Neumann is the School of Music's newest Presidential Professor! Dr. Neumann has just received the President's Associates Presidential Professorship, and we are extremely proud of him. Congratulations, Dr. Neumann!
We are extremely proud of OU School of Music alum Jack Swanson, who just received a Richard Tucker Career Grant! This is a $10,000 grant awarded to young singers who have already performed with professional companies. Congratulations, Jack!
Dr. Christina Giacona has been awarded the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Gladys Krieble Delmas Visiting Scholar award for this coming summer. Dr. Giacona will be conducting research at the Hall of Fame's library archives, using the museum's resources to collect information about Native American musicians in the music industry. Congratulations, Dr. Giacona!
A new CD titled Neon Flicker was just released by h2/4 duo. h2/4 is 2 of the 4 members of the H2 quartet, an internationally acclaimed saxophone quartet: our saxophone professor Dr. Jonathan Nichol, and Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert.
We are very excited to announce that Dr. Chris Baumgartner has been elected to the Chair-Elect position for the Music Teacher Education Special Research Interest Group of the Society for Research in Music Education! Congratulations, Dr. Baumgartner!
Congratulations to OU graduate saxophone student Damian Cheek, who was named the Grand Prize Winner in the national Naftzger Young Artist’s Competition! The competition is open to all instuments and voice types, and Damian is the first saxophonist ever to win this prestigious award!
Congratulations to senior tuba major Alex Purdy, who recently won First Place in the Solo Tuba Competition at the South Central regional division of the International Tuba and Euphonium Association! Great job, Alex!
The Elysian Quartet has been invited to compete in the live quarterfinals of the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Indiana.
The poster presentation by Jace Vickers and Haley Vickers entitled Interdisciplinary Approaches with Music: Using Opera in the ESL Classroom was presented at MTNA conference.
Clara Boyett's poster presentation entiled Managing Performance Anxiety: Contributors and Treatments was presented at MTNA conference.
Congratulations to M.M. Musicology student Layla Butler, who has been accepted into the prestigious Ph.D. Musicology program at Duke University, where she will begin her studies in August!
Dr. Christina Giacona authored the textbook: "The Indigenous Music of Turtle Island: Native American Music in North America". The textbook was published by Kendall Hunt Publishing. Congratulations, Dr. Giacona!
Three OU School of Music graduate students — Hunter Birkhead, Ashley Green, and Ryan Meeks — have received the Provost’s Certificate of Distinction in Teaching! Recipients of this award represent the top 10 percent of all graduate assistants across campus by student evaluations for courses taught during the Fall 2017 semester. Congratulations to Hunter, Ashley, and Ryan on this well deserved honor!
DMA composition student Chelsea Williams has been selected as a finalist in the Instrumental Chamber Music student division of the American Prize in Composition! The American Prize in Composition recognizes and rewards the best American composers of works for orchestra, chorus, concert band, chamber ensemble, pops, or theater music.
Continued Success For This Amazing Ensemble! The Elysian Quartet won the chamber music division at the national mtna competition in Orlando, Florida! Congratulations to Jared Waters, Spiro Nicolas, Evan Harris, and Damian Cheek on this tremendous accomplishment!
Young Artist Competition
Congratulations to the winners of our 2nd annual Young Artist Competition:
1st place
Jacob Nance
2nd place
Julianna Voelker
Honorable Mention
Zachary Lewis
Daniel Kavelman
Nathan Heim
Kirsten Hewes
Brady Williams
Emilia Ughamadu
Hunter Gross
These wonderful musicians will be featured in our inaugural Young Artist Honor Recital on Tuesday, April 3rd, at 8:00pm in Pitman Hall.
OU percussion student Hunter Gross received 1st Place in the Ladies' Music Club Competition in Oklahoma City.
Third-year BMA and pre-med student Gabrielle Thng won 1st Prize in the Hyechka Competition in Tulsa on Saturday and 2nd Prize in the Ladies' Music Club Competition in Oklahoma City.
Congratulations to the Elysian Quartet, winners of the 2018 North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition!
OU Professor of Piano Dr. Barbara Fast has been elected as MTNA Director-elect of the South Central Division.
DMA cello student Chas Helge has been awarded an Edison Visiting Fellowship to pursue his research on the cellist Beatrice Harrison at the British Library in London beginning this Fall. Mr. Helge is a student of OU Cello Professor Dr. Jon Ruck.
Congratulations to OU Assistant Professor of Music Theory Dr. Jeff Swinkin! Dr. Swinkin is co-editor of the new text "The Norton Guide To Teaching Music Theory." Bravo!
Congratulations to OU School of Music graduate student Kathryn Vetter! Kathryn is one of the winners of this year's Oklahoma Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition! She will perform the first movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622 with the OCO on April 24th at 7:30pm.
Congratulations to the Elysian Quartet on their first-place finish in the Chamber Music Wind division of the South Central MTNA competition!
Congratulations to Anthony Conroy! Anthony won 1st Place in the Young Artists division of the national MTNA Composition Competition! Anthony's winning piece, "Only The Weak Get Burnt Out" will receive a performance at the national MTNA finals in Orlando, Florida later this spring.
The OU Women's Chorus performed at OkMEA conference in Tulsa, under the direction of Dr. David Howard.
